Car-coupling.



' PATENTED NOV. 10, 1908..

J. w, SMITH. GAR G-OUPLING. APPLIOATIOH FILED JULY 17, 1903.

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No. 743,767. PATENTED NOV. 10, 1903. J. w. SMITH. GAB. COUPLING.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1902.

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PATENT iatcnted November 10, 1903 JOHN WORTHINGTON SMITH, OF OTTAWA,CANADA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,767, dated November1903- Application filed July 17,1903. Serial No. 165,987. on model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN Won'rnmeron SMITH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Ottawa, in the county of Carleton, Ontario, Dominionof Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to couplers of the Master Car-Builders type, andin outline and in general features it is not greatly unlike othercouplers of this class.

Theobject is to provide improved means for locking, unlocking, andopening the coupl'er, for relieving the knuckle-pin from strain andwear, to hold the cars securely coupled should the coupling-pin bebroken or removed, to adapt the coupler to resist more safely than mostcouplers the great strains of impact and 0t tractional force, and tosecure certain other advantages which will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the closedcoupler. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the open coupler. Fig. 3 is aside elevation looking toward the knuckle side of the coupler. Fig. 4 isa view similar to Fig. 3, parts being broken away. Fig. 5 is anelevation of a certain knucklelocking block and its securing-pawllooking from the right in Figs. 1, 2, 3," 4:. Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview of a certain rock-shaft having rigid arms and serving to force theknuckle open.

In the views, A represents the guard-arm of a coupler-head, and B aknuckle-receiving hub formed upon the opposite side of the head bycutting away the upper and lower portions of this part of the head, sothat it may receive the bifurcated knuckle O, which is pivotally held bya pin 1), passing through the hub and both branches of the knuckle Eachbranch of the knuckle is provided with a rearwardly-extendin g tail E,whose free end forms an outwardly-turned hook E in position to swinginto and out of engagement with a heavy lug F as the knuckle is closedand opened. From the tail E an arm G projects obliquely rearwardapproximately to a shoulderH upon the head, and between each tail E anda shoulder I lies a locking-block J, which slides vertically in a' wayin the head,be ing raised and lowered by means of a chain K or the like,operated in a well-known Way from the top or side of the car. Thelocking-block is cut away at L L, so that when it is lifted to bring thecut-away portions into the planes of the knuckle branches, respectively,it no longer projects into the paths of the knuckle branches. A pawl Mis pivoted to the upper part of the locking-block in position to lienormally in nearly horizontal position upon the upper branch of theknuckle, and when the locking-block is raised this'pawl swings bygravity to vertical position and against the locking-block, as seen inFig. 5, when it effectually prevents the descent of the locking-blockwhen the latter is no longer held up by the chain. If now the knuckle beswnngopen, the upper branch slides beneath the end of the pawl, whichcannot move with the branch, and soon passes from beneath the same,allowing the locking-block to descend slightly until its shoulder Nrests upon the knuckle branch. When the knuckle swings again to closedposition, its upper branch moves beneath the rounded end of the pawl,swinging it to oblique position, where it cannot support thelocking-block, and then passes from beneath the shoulder N, when thelocking-block instantly falls by gravity, locking the knuckle, as at theoutset. Thus when the locking-block is raised, ailowing the pawl toswing to vertical position, the locking-block cannot fall again untilthe pawl is swung outward by the movement of the knuckle or otherwise,and hence raising the locking-block whether or not the knuckle is openedat the same time, leaves the knuckle free to open if not already open,and so arranged that it will be automatically locked whenever it isclosed.

In a recess 0 in the lower part of the head is a rock-shaft P, having arigid arm P, projecting into a long vertical recess Q in thelocking-block, and another arm P which normally lies approximately inthe vertical plane of the shaft and alongside the lower knuckle branchin position to push the branch and open the knuckle whenever the shaftis properly rocked. The proportions are such that when thelocking-blockis raised far enough to free the knuckle, as shown in Fig. 4, therock-shaft is not affected, the arm P, which was before near the the topof the recess, be-

ing now at the bottom of the same; but if the locking-block be furtherlifted, by the chain or otherwise, the bottom or lower side of therecess engages the arm P, rocks the shaft, and forces the arm P againstthe lower knuckle branch, opening the knuckle. It is to be observed thatthe upper recess in the lockingblock is of sufficient vertical extent topermit this raising and that the upper knuckle branch does not swingentirely out of this recess when the knuckle opens, and hence that thelocking-block cannot be lifted farther than to bring the lower side ofthis recess into contact with the upper knuckle branch.

It may be further noted that when the locking-block is fully raised thepawl rises from the knuckle, but remains pendent and allows thelocking-block to descend freely, but not far enough to lock the knuckle.The bearings of the rock-shaft allow endwise movement of the latter inpassing to place; but when this is in place the locking-block J,beinginserted from above the arm P, enters the recess Q, and furthersliding of the shaft is thus prevented. Putting the knuckle in place inturn prevents the withdrawal of the locking-block. The lugs Fand theknucklehooks are preferably so arranged that when the knuckle is closedthe hooks are in close engagement with the lugs, the meeting surfacesbeing curved about the axis of the knuckle-pin and inclined outwardlyforward, so that tension upon the knuckle tends to maintain engagement.The strain and the wear upon the pin and thewalls of the aperture inwhich it works are thus greatly de creased, the work being divided amongthe four points instead of between two points and the strength of thehooks and lugs reinforcing the strength of the pin. It is clear that solong as two coupled knuckles are prevented from opening by thelocking-blocks J they cannot become uncoupled if one or bothknuckle-pins be broken or removed, but will continue to securely couplethe cars.

To limit the opening movement of the knuckle by devices which leave itentirely free to close, I provide upon the outer side of the head a lugR, and to limit the contrary movement and to share with the shoulders Hand I and other shouldersS the great strain of impact I'provide on thehub a vertical shoulder T, extending from top to bottom of the hub andcoacting with a similar shoulder U within the knuckle. The shoulders Sand T can hardly be broken, and they practically make the application ofa breaking strain upon the tails and arms impossible.

Ordinarily when a draw-bar breaks loose and is drawn outward until freedfrom the devices which support it it falls to the ground, where .it isnearly certain to engage the passing brake-beams, with the notinfrequent result of derailing the train and causing very great loss. Toobviate this evil, I attach the chain K not directly to thelocking-block, but to a link V, itself pivoted to the lockingblock andnormally lying just in front of a flange W upon the coupler-head. Theparts are so proportioned and arranged that asthe coupler is drawn outbodily the link V is pulled rearward by the chain K and at the same timedrawn upward slightly, so that in assuming the position shown in dottedlines it acts as a lever, using the flange Was a fulcrum, and thusraising the locking-block out oflockingposition. This allows the knuckleto open, freeing the coacting coupler before the injured coupler isdrawn out far enough to fall from its supports. It is true thatuncoupling is not desirable; but it is to be borne in mind thatuncoupling has already occurred through the supposed breakage and thatthis device simply avoids the most serious and imminent danger arisingfrom the breaking.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a coupler-head having on itsupper and lower sides suitable projections, of a bifurcated knucklepivoted upon the head and having hooked branches adapted to swing intoand out of engagement with said projections, respectively, as theknuckle closes and opens.

2. The combination with a coupler-head having above and below suitablerigid projections, of a bifurcated knuckle pivoted to the head andhaving hooked branches adapted to swing into and out of engagement withsaid projections, respectively, as the knuckle closes and opens, anddevices normally holding said hooked branches in engagement with theprojection.

3. The combination with a coupler-head, of a bifurcated knuckle pivotedthereon, a vertically-moving locking-block normally obstructing theopening movement of both knuckle branches but passing out of obstructingposition when raised above a certain point, automatic devices forholding the locking-block above such point when it has been raised, andmeans whereby further raising opens the knuckle;- said devices beingarranged to be thrown out of operation by closing movement of theknuckle.

4. The combination with the coupler-head having the projections aboveand below and the shoulder upon the periphery of its hub, of thebifurcated knuckle pivoted upon said hub and provided with a shoulder inposition to meet said shoulder upon the hub when the knuckle is closedand with hooked tails in position to engage saidprojections,respectively, when the coupler is closed, a locking-blocksliding into and out of position for locking the knuckle, and means foroperating the locking-block.

5. The combination with a coupler-head and a bifurcated knuckle pivotedthereon, of a locking-block movable in the head into and out ofknuckle-locking position, a rock-shaft mounted in the head and providedwith an arm in position to exert opening force upon the knuckle as theshaft is rocked in the proper direction, and means whereby moving thelooking-block in unlocking direction so whereby the relative advance ofthe head may rocks the shaft.

6. The combination with a coupler-head, a knuckle'pivoted thereon, and alocking-block arranged to move upward and downward in the head and torelease the knuckle when raised, of a rigid link pivoted to saidlockingblock at a point below the rearwardly-adjacent portion of thehead, and devices connecting the upper end of said link with someportion of the ear, substantially as set forth;

cause the link to act as a lever and lift the locking-block.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WORTHINGTON SMITH.

Witnesses GEO, W. CAYE, I. J. LYATOR.

